Clock
by nolapeep
Summary: I'll call you later." When was later? Was later two hours after the phone number give-away? Or was it four hours later? Maybe a day...right? Or, how about twenty minutes later? Next week? Sometime soon? When was later?


_"I'll call you later," the boy purred. He placed his hand over Sam's, turning to leave. Suddenly, he hesitated, his gaze lingering over Sam a little longer than it should've. "I'll call, okay?" __Sam just sat there with the pen in her grip, stunned. All she could do was nodd. Her eyes followed him out the door as he got into his car._

_"What just happened?" Tucker asked, coming up behind Sam. She shrugged as he continued, "Did you just hand out your number in Wal-Mart?" _

_"Sam gave her number in Wal-Mart?" Danny asked, coming up behind Sam as well. His eyes narrowed in suspicion. "To a stranger?" Sam turned to glare at her two best friends as she handed the cashier the money she owed him._

_"I can give my phone number to anyone I want, anywhere," she hissed, retrieveing the change. She tossed the coins into her purse, then started to the exit to Wal-Mart, her friends right behind her. _

_"But, in Wal-Mart?" Tucker droned on, obviously not wanting to drop the subject._

_"And to someone you don't know?" Danny chimed in, placing his hand on Sam's shoulder. She swatted it away as she turned the get the keys out the back pocket of her jeans. She gripped her purse tighter around her shoulder as the boys continued to press on._

_"I mean, you just don't do that..."_

_"And to someone you don't know..."_

_"In Wal-Mart? While in line?"_

_"And to someone you only exchanged twenty words with?" Sam came to a halt as she reached the car, turning on her heels to give her friends an annoyed death glare._

_"Shut up," she spat, her eyes in little slits. She scrunched up her nose mindlessly, something she always did when she was aggravated. "I don't want to hear about it. I know I gave out my number to a stranger I'd never met before while in line at Wal-Mart. I _know _that. If I didn't, I wouldn't have _done _that." She twisted the end of a strand of her raven black hair in frustration as she continued. _

_"One: Tucker, why are you annoying me about this? You should be lucky to pass out your number _anywhere_! Two: Danny, why are you bugging me about giving out my number to a stranger? I don't care if he was someone I don't even know. He's my age, he's cute, and I'm guessing he's single. I wonder if that's why he asked for my phone number. Stop being jealous."_

_Sam walked away in a huff, leaving Danny and Tucker in the dust behind her. They looked at each other before Tucker started laughing. "She was on the money with you, huh?" _

_Danny narrow his eyes. "What do you mean?"_

_"I mean, you were _definitely _jealous." _

_"No I wasn't."_

_"You were steaming through your ears." Danny winced, trying not to imagine what Tucker was describing._

_"Seriously?" _

_"I'm serious, dude."_

_"Crap." Danny looked around, trying to think of something else to talk about. "You were annoying her about giving out her number in Wal-Mart. Why did you do that?" Tucker shrugged. "I mean, you can't even get a girl to stay in earshot long enough to ask for their number."_

_"Hey," Tucker snapped back defensively. "That's not true." Danny laughed easily._

_"Sure it isn't."_

_"Jealous little idiot."_

_"Desperate little moron."_

_"Touché."_

_"Amen, brother."_

* * *

Sam sat on the couch, watching the Disney Classic, _Aladdin_. She watched as Aladdin took Jasmine's hand, helping her up onto the magical carpet. Sam watched as the princess squealed in delight, the carpet dipping downward in the sky, zipping through clouds. She sighed.

Sam wanted that.

She wanted to hold the hand of somebody. She wanted to squeal in delight -- although she'd kill herself anyway -- in the arms of someone who she loved... and someone who loved her back. She wanted the true love everyone talked about. She wanted a love for someone that would last forever.

Sam wanted that.

She knew, deep down inside, that she was another one of those hopeless romantics, the ones who lived for happy endings and romantic comedies. The ones who always daydreamed their way through life, hoping for someone to sweep them off their feet. The ones who always wanted to be coated with compliments, to be loved for who they were.

And though she despised herself for it, Sam was just that.

Deep down inside, of course.

Sam looked at the clock on the living room wall in Tucker's house. The hand moved as slow as ever, unfortunately taking it's dear sweet time.

_"I'll call you later." _

When was later?

Was later two hours after the phone number give-away? Or was it four hours later? Maybe a day. Right? Or, how about twenty minutes later? Next week? Sometime soon?

When was later?

Sam watched the clock tick away, one minute after the other. _Tick... Tock... Tick... Tock... _Sam bit her lip in anxiety as she turned back to the movie.

"I can show you the world..." Aladdin's smooth voice came from the speakers, making Sam's heart tighten some more. She closed her eyes, imagining someone singing this to her.

_Stop it! Stop. You're goth. You're tough. Not some soft little giddy girl who loves romantic things. Now that's just moronic._

"Hey!" Danny jumped onto the couch, sitting beside Sam. She grit her teeth as Danny propped up his feet on the coffee table in front of him. He grinned and asked, "Has he called yet?"

"Who?" Sam replied, playing dumb.

"The Wal-Mart guy."

"Evan?"

"Was that his name?"

"Yep... I think."

"Cool." Danny paused for a few seconds and was quiet, as if trying to come up with something to talk about. "So, has Evan called yet?"

"Will you just drop the subject?!" Sam yelled, muting the DVD. She turned to him, annoyed. "Will you stop? I'm trying to enjoy my movie!"

"A cartoon?"

"Yes! Yes, a cartoon!" Sam hissed, unmuting the TV. "My movie's a cartoon."

Minutes passed, and soon everything was back to normal. Sam was too busy to notice Danny's arm wrap around her during the movie, or so she seemed.

_He did it. He made the move. Oh gosh... Oh... Jeez. Ah..._

"Did you hear that?" Danny whispered, his breath tickling Sam's ear. She shivered mindlessly.

"Hear what?"

"Was that the phone?" Sam's eyes immediately lit up.

"He called?!" She went after the phone in a flash, and when she checked the Caller ID, the spark in her eyes dimmed. "No, he didn't." Suddenly, the spark came back, but this time, it wasn't because of joy. It was, this time, because of humiliation.

"How dare you?!" Sam roared, lunging at Danny. He laughed as he doged her tackle, Sam falling into the cushions of the couch. "You freakin' tricked me!!"

"I couldn't help it," Danny smirked, too full of himself. "You set yourself up." Sam threw a pillow at him, then settled back in the position she was in before.

"Don't do that again." She focused on the TV screen, but was still angry. And Danny knew that.

"Okay, then." He smirked, smug. Minutes passed, and soon everything was back to normal, once more. Sam was too busy to notice Danny's arm wrap around her during the movie, or so she seemed.

_He did it, again. Why? Hmm. I wonder why..._

"Tick... Tock..." Danny muttered, his fingers crawling up Sam's arm. "The clock's ticking away..." He hesitated as his fingers reached Sam's elbow. "Has he called, Sam? Has Evan called yet?"

Sam forced the smile away as she continued to stare at the screen.

"Tick... Tock..."

"Stop."

"Tick... Tock..."

"Stop it."

"Tick..."

"Please."

"Tock..."

"Now."

"Tick... "

"Now!" Sam yelled in rage, pegging another pillow at Danny. "Enough with the clock!!" The pillow threw Danny off balance, and he was soon on the ground, rubbing his butt in pain.

"Crap," he cursed, trying to get up. "You throw hard, girl."

Sam smiled, flattered. "I know." She turned back to the movie, just as Aladdin broke the hourglass with Jasmine stuck inside. The sand poured out, along with the princess.

"Tick -- "

"AH!!"


End file.
